State Capitol Watch: Bonds considered for repairs

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — State lawmakers are considering a bond issue to repair Oklahoma's nearly century-old state Capitol and prepare it for its next 100 years.

Legislative leaders are developing plans to ask the House and Senate to authorize up to $200 million in bonds to repair both the Capitol and the nearby Jim Thorpe State Office Building.

Momentum for the project has grown since yellow barriers were erected around the Capitol's south portico last year to prevent visitors from climbing its steps, where mortar and pieces of limestone are falling from slabs overhead. Protective scaffolding has been erected to prevent visitors from being injured by falling debris.

But some lawmakers question the wisdom of considering a bond issue in an election year when many Oklahomans are already concerned about the growing national debt.